4. TRY TO UNDERSTAND

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"She wants a divorce?" Melanie shrieked.

"As she should." Maverick grunted.

"Dad, please. She is clearly overreacting. Dom said he has nothing to do with Natasha, right? Won't she give her own husband the benefit of doubt at least?" Benjamin was pacing the hall.

The party was a flop. The charity auction that they had planned had to be canceled.

'The Anniversary Mishap' was all over the internet.

Benjamin could already see the stock prices plummeting.

"Seems like a very rational reaction to me." Maverick shrugged.

As the three elders discussed amongst themselves, Dominic nursed a glass of rum in one hand and the ring his wife had left behind in the other.

After all the screaming, yelling, and accusing, he was humble enough to accept that all of this was his fault.

He really had hurt Natasha and strung her along if she too believed like everyone else that they had something going on.

He gulped down his alcohol in one go and let out a sigh.

Dominic was only looking for an intellectual and emotional companion, which he lacked in his life. And whose fault was that? It was not his fault that his wife never showed any personality until today.

And when she did, she showed her old colors - that of a menace. Of a witch. Of a bitch.

He wondered what his grandfather had meant when he said he missed the old Nicola. The old her was better off missing.

He took a calming breath.

He was the one to blame. There was no use deflecting it to Nicola.

Now he needed to carry out damage control.

"I am going home." He got up from his seat, throwing his tux jacket over his shoulder.

"To that witch?" Melanie turned to him.

"Melanie!" Maverick was not going to play around and let an innocent kid take the brunt of his and his grandson's mistake.

Dominic threw up his hands in surrender and exited the room - he did not have the energy to argue with them. He had to save it all for a woman who had proven herself unpredictable. But why after all this time?

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"Did you have to make a scene?" Mathew yelled at his daughter over the phone. "We have all become laughing stocks. When I finally believed you were over all your clownery, you had to go ahead and prove me wrong!" 

Nicola sighed as she leaned back onto the leather couch in the penthouse apartment she shared with Dominic. 

She did not understand what clownery her father was talking about. She had not done anything to elicit complaints in the last decade. 

"Your grandfather promised Maverick that their grandchildren will be happily married and will-"

"Blah blah blah blah blah." Nicola said.

"What?" Mathew seethed.

"Baby, apologize right now!" Her mother was being subtle this time, which was a wonder.

Nicola didn't. She hung up instead.

Her phone started to ping as her mother and her sister bombarded her with messages but Nicola was not in the mood to take it up with her ranting Mom or console her ever-guilty sister on top of being so emotionally drained herself.

Heck, she did not even want to be in the same place where she and her soon-to-be ex used to fuck like rabbits, even though it was limited to the bedroom. Which was why she was in the living room. And also because she was too tired to pack up and leave.

She let out another sigh.

The front door opened.

"Great." She didn't move from her position, merely placed the back of her wrist on her forehead and closed her eyes.

"Nicola, we need to talk." Dominic was all too calm.

He meant business.

"Say whatever you need to, to my lawyer. Now leave me alone."

Of course, the man refused to listen.

He plopped right next to her and leaned back on the couch, staring ahead.

"Don't you feel like things have been blown way out of proportion?" He asked the silent room.

"Don't think so. I was waiting for an opening and you served it to me on a silver platter."

Dominic turned to her, not knowing what to think. Was she always like this?

"This is not the time to try a hand at whatever type of humor you have."

Nicola opened her eyes. "You and Natasha make a terrific pair."

"I already told you we are not a thing."

Nicola sat up, finally looking at him. "You both should be. I am stepping out of your way."

"Is that what you believe you are doing?" He asked, resigned. "This is not one of those sappy novels you sell at your publishing company, Nicola. This is real life. Here, there are repercussions for your actions."

Nicola smiled, for the second time that night in front of him, and now that he was calm, he became aware of the tinkling in the pit of his stomach at the sight. He almost appreciated the beauty of the rarity. 

"If it wasn't for all of the repercussions you speak of, wouldn't you be with her right now?" Nicola knew her words were true. 

"I am married to you." He replied. 

"That does not answer my question." She shook her head, looking at her empty ring finger. She hated to ask this question because she already knew the answer and she hated it. But she had come this long, she might as well cross the alligator pond. "Be honest to yourself Dominic. If we could go back two years and you had a choice between me and Natasha, who would you choose? If you had a choice." 

She looked back up, hiding all the emotions, making the question simply objective rather than the gut-wrenching agony it was to her. 

Nicola Grant didn't care. She chanted to herself but then caught herself. 

Nicola Montgomery didn't care. 

Dominic just stared at her, guilt seeping into his conscience as his silence answered the question. 

Nicola swallowed the lump in her throat as she got up from the couch, putting some distance between them as she walked over to where the floor-to-ceiling glass windows were before turning to face him. 

"That, your honor, is my argument for divorce." 

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